That said, are people heretics who associate with people who spoke at the conference or who have associated with Catholics in the past? I don’t think so. I myself was invited once to preach to Catholic youth back when I was a teenager. I was fully prepared to preach the gospel (as I knew it then which was the sinner’s prayer method) but I knew I wasn’t going to go to the Catholics and just beat them up and down with my Bible. That just wouldn’t have worked and I was invited to preach there by a friend (who is now a Catholic priest). The event was cancelled and I was never able to speak there again. I wish I could today.

What bothers me about so called “Berean” ministries is the self-righteousness I see. I have been guilty of this myself. I use to say that I was just being a good old Berean like those in Acts 17:11 but I was actually just being critical and self-righteous toward others. I’m all for taking a teaching or a teacher to task from the Bible. We are commanded to do so (see 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21; 1 John 4:1). However, what I find is that many Bereans are simply not charitable towards those whom they disagree. I daily get blog posts from Berean ministries and I have yet to find one that says at the end, “Please pray for this person.” They just rip a person up and down and then throw them out. I believe 2 Timothy 2:24-26 must apply to our discernment passages.

Meanwhile some of the people they are writing about are doing more for the gospel then they are. I’m not a huge fan of Josh McDowell but I don’t doubt that his ministry is being used by God. I don’t follow Ravi Zacharias but I don’t doubt that he too is being used by God. I’m not a big follower of Francis Chan but his ministry is amazing. David Wood is an amazing evangelist to Muslims and bold in doing so. Is David Wood perfect? No. One can listen to one of these men long enough and find something to blog about.

I’ve never debated an atheist publicly. I have never debated a Muslim. I have never even debated a Mormon publicly. I have never open air preached before very hostile crowds. It is quite safe here where I am writing at this moment. I could sit here and attack this ministry or that and never leave my home but boy I feel better about myself. Why? Because I was a Berean!

Now let me again state that, at times, people need to be confronted. I was disappointed a few years back when Ravi was invited to speak in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Mormon Tabernacle (a place I too have been). I was hoping Ravi would preach the gospel and call Mormons to repent. He didn’t. Do I think he was wrong there? Yes I do. Is he a heretic? No.

Dr. Michael Brown went on Benny Hinn’s program a few years back. Would I? Probably not unless I could clearly state the gospel and know that Hinn would both agree and denounce the false prosperity gospel. Brown didn’t do any of that. Dr. James White, his friend, called him to task publicly for this. Brown later admitted he was wrong to go on Hinn’s program.

Now should we denounce Ravi Zacharias or Michael Brown? Some say yes. I say no. I don’t agree with all they have done nor do I agree with all that you might do. Our standing is before God and we must give an account to Him alone (Romans 14:10-12).

By the way, do you ever pray for Benny Hinn? I don’t think most of us do. We just count him as a heretic and move on. Hinn needs our prayers. I don’t know his heart and neither do you. I know he has preached some wacky things but is he too far gone to repent?

And simply because one shows up doesn’t mean that one endorses the totality of that ministry. John MacArthur appeared on TBN once. Should we denounce MacArthur? Of course not. In fact, I was proud of MacArthur’s appearance on TBN as he preached the clear gospel before millions.

So meanwhile while some brothers are on the front lines of battle against the enemies of the cross, bloggers blog about them to the world. They call this discernment ministries. They say they are Bereans. I think they just need to get offline and pray. Discernment is needed. Being mean is not.

Someone wrote that worship of God is where we worship Him for who He is. Intercessory prayer is where we pray what God has promised in His Word. For example, when we pray for the lost to be saved we are praying the will of God (1 Timothy 2:3-6; 2 Peter 3:9). We are praying what God has spoken. When we pray for world missions, we are praying what the Father promised to His Son (Psalm 2:8; Matthew 28:18-20).

With intercessory prayer in mind, Jesus said in Matthew 5:44:

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

We are called to pray for our enemies. What does this do in the heart of the believer? This produces love. When we begin to pray for our enemies, we will soon find that we have a love for them. We begin to desire to see them turn from their sins and repent. Yes we hate their sins but we will begin to love them for being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). True praying for someone will produce love for them.

I have been seeking to implement this into my prayer life. When I hear a story about a church preaching false doctrine, I have begun to pray for that church to come to repentance. I have been praying for those who are enemies of the gospel. I have been praying for those who are dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3) to come to faith in the Lord Jesus. I have been praying for cults to turn from their false doctrines to the truth in Christ. My longing is for genuine love to flow from me for those who are enemies of the gospel.

I am all for apologetic ministries and even discernment ministries but I fear that too often we are wanting to win debates with people and pointing out their false teachings while not praying for them. To be clear, I detest false doctrines. Yet I equally know that Jesus calls us to pray for our enemies. I fear that we often want to destroy people while not longing for them to come to repentance. May that not be.

Paul the Apostle was persecuted by his own people, the Jews. Yet he prayed for their salvation (Romans 10:1). Paul could have grown cold and bitter toward his own but he longed to see them repent. His praying no doubt produced love for his lost kin.

My prayer is that I would pray for my enemies and truly love them. I am far from that now. In my heart, I want my enemies gone! I look around at the wicked world and long for Jesus to come and make it all right. Yet how many would be cast into hell if that were the case and Jesus came today? Again, the Lord is patient with lost sinners (2 Peter 3:9). The heart of God is for sinners to repent and live (Ezekiel 18:32).

I’ve been enjoying a lively conversation between myself and an Australian brother. He often writes articles on the United States often attacking us for various reasons. It got me wondering about patriotism and whether it is sinful. This brother believes that too many Christians in the United States place Christianity and patriotism side by side and often blur the line between Christianity and the United States itself.

First, let me state that I believe it is not sinful to be patriotic provided your patriotism doesn’t get in the way of the gospel. The United States is not the kingdom of God and some do struggle to see that distinction. I confess that Jesus is Lord of all (Romans 10:9-13) and He is Lord over the nations (Daniel 2:44). The nations are His (Psalm 2:7-9). The gospel is going to triumph over all the nations including the United States of America (Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28). The United States, like Great Britain before her, like Spain before her, and like other nations will not matter in eternity. The Lordship of Christ is what matters.

Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36) not meaning that His kingdom is not coming to this world but rather that its power, its source is not of this world. Our power is from God (Acts 1:8). No nation can defeat the gospel. Whether it be the wicked Soviet Union or the wicked United States, nothing will stop the gospel. The gospel is going to reign over the nations (Acts 17:30-31). Revelation 5:9 promises that there will be people from every tribe under heaven in eternity. People of all races, languages, nations, etc. will be in heaven. What a joy that will be!

When it comes to patriotism, I know many look at the United States and wonder about this. Why do Americans stand at the national anthem? Why do churches display both the Christian and US flags? Why do churches encourage patriotism? Even by those who do not claim Christ, patriotism is often encouraged. Even atheists rejoice in our freedoms and encourage a loyalty to the United States.

For those outside of the US, this can be misunderstood. I was raised to be thankful for our nation. I was taught by my Sunday School teachers, my public education teachers, and my college professors to love our nation, to rejoice in our freedoms, to pray for our leaders. I look around at the world and I see poverty, I see political turmoil, I see religious restrictions, I see wars, I see the government taking away people’s rights to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness (to quote the Declaration of Independence) and I thank God I live in the United States. This is not a “Christian” nation though I fear that the secular left wants to wash away the Christian foundation that is definitely part of our history that we brought over from Europe.

According to the United Nations:

With a population of over 300 million people, the market value of all goods and services was almost $14 trillion dollars in 2007—equivalent to a staggering 2.5% of the entire world’s total output. Gross domestic product (GDP) data collected by the World Bank in 2007 indicated that the United States produced more goods and services than the next four economic–powerhouse countries—Japan, Germany, China and the United Kingdom—combined.

In the US, we can live anywhere we want, drive anywhere we want, eat whatever we want at all times, do whatever we want (provided it is legal). I live in the South here in the US and we are called “the Bible belt” for good reason. We have thousands of churches, Bible publishers, and missionaries. It is not uncommon to go to a civic event and hear prayers. Our leaders often speak of what church they belong to. The United States has sent out more missionaries than any other nation in the history of the world. More money flows from the church here in the US to world missions than any other nations combined.

I have seen people rise through the Protestant work ethic engrained in the United States. My uncle is now with Jesus but he was born with an eye problem that led to his blindness. He could see up until near his death but he was legally blind. When he dropped out of school in the 1940’s, blind people often were destined for poverty. What could they do? He worked at a broom shop making corn brooms at $10 a week. He married his bride and they shared a one bedroom apartment. Over time, my uncle got saved and Jesus changed his life. The Protestant work ethic begin to flow. My uncle worked hard and when he died, he had purchased three homes, multiple cars, and left behind a strong biblical work ethic. All this while legally blind. Of course, the biblical work ethic is not about just getting homes, cars, etc. but about working to the glory of God (Colossians 3:23-24).

Despite all this, the US is a wicked nation. We have turned from our Christian foundation. I am not implying that our founding fathers were all Christians but they did have Christian heritage that came from mainly England. The first pilgrims to the new world brought with them The Geneva Bible and sought out the new world for the purpose of worshiping God in freedom. 11 of the 13 colonies had a national church. Yet the liberals today want us to ignore history, to ignore Christianity as what made Europe great and when Europe turned away from Christianity, it too has fallen. Christianity will make Africa great as well as China and Korea. I pray that other nations learn from the history of Europe and the United States and embrace the gospel and watch the blessings of God.

The US is full of sin. Homosexuality, abortion, murder, drunkenness, greed, lust, gambling, sports idolatry and other forms of idolatry, the worship of money, of power, of fame. We live in a society that has lost its Protestant work ethic (that work is to the glory of God and is rewarded) but now I read that the younger generations favor socialism (stealing from the hard working to provide equality to those who do not work as hard). This nation must repent.

So back to my original question. Is patriotism wrong? I believe that it should not become idolatrous. It should not blur the gospel. It should not rob Jesus of His reign over our lives. We are not citizens of the United States first but we are disciples of Jesus first and foremost (Luke 14:25-35) and our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

Paul the Apostle was not ashamed to say where he was from (Philippians 3:5). Paul even used his earthly citizenship to his advantage for the gospel (Acts 22:22-29). He did not boast over others through his Roman heritage but he used it. I pray the same for my fellow Americans. I pray that we use our freedom to preach the gospel. I pray that we use our right to free speech for the glory of God. I pray that we take our money and use it to spread the gospel around the world. I pray that we use our religious freedom to preach the gospel in the open air, to witness to people, to gather with the saints of God to worship our true King, and to pray for our leaders to repent (1 Timothy 2:1-7).

If you do not live in the United States, I ask you to pray for the US to repent. It is a blessed nation but a wicked nation. May God have mercy on the United States of America.

Seems as if everyday we find news coming out of evil abounding. People murdering people. People lying. People giving themselves to sexual immorality and to drugs. We see the work of the devil all around us. We see politicians lying, sports stars living in wickedness, and yes, sadly, the church has its own people falling into sin. We need only to look in the mirror to know that sin abounds (Romans 3:23).

I believe that before we take to social media to talk about the sin around us and in us, we need to go to our knees to pray. I believe the Lord can use tragedy to help us pray with His heart for this lost world. The Lord is no doubt the Savior of the lost (Luke 19:10) and He draws sinners to Himself by His grace (John 6:44) but He also uses the means of grace to bring the lost to Himself. This is true for Arminians as it is for our Calvinist brethren. The Lord uses the means of preaching (1 Corinthians 1:21) and the means of prayer to bring sinners to salvation (Romans 10:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-2). The God of glory allows us (fallen human beings) to join with Him in prayer to labor for souls (1 Corinthians 3:9).

When we see wickedness around us, let us pray. When we see people living in sin around us, let us pray. When we hear of Muslims committing works of evil, let us pray. When we hear of cults, let us pray. When we hear of Christians falling into sin, let us pray. When we hear of loved ones who are living in sin, let us pray. When we hear the news of evil, let us pray.

Let us pray for the souls to be saved. Let us pray for God to send forth workers to work His harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38). Let us pray for the Word to go forth and bear fruit to the glory of God (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2). Let us pray for cities and nations to experience revival (Acts 2:17-18). Let us pray for the Lord to bring sinners to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Let us pray for holiness in the Church (1 Peter 1:15-16). Let us pray for the glory of God to fill His Church (Ephesians 3:20-21).

We live in this world as ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). We can speak to people for God but we also can speak to God for people. God doesn’t hear the cries of wicked sinners who have not repented of their sins (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:2; John 9:31) but He does hear those of His children (Psalm 34:15). As His children, we have the right (John 1:12-13) to come into His holy presence through His Son (John 14:12-14; Hebrews 4:14-16). We have a faithful high priest before the Father and we can approach the throne of God through faith in the Lord Jesus who died for our sins and now sits at the right hand of God praying for us (Hebrews 7:25). Through the name of Jesus, we have the right to pray and the Lord hears our cries. The Bible says that He acknowledges the humble (Psalm 147:11).

As we pray, let us praise with the Psalmist and rejoice that God hears our prayers (Psalm 66:20). Let us pray,

“Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue.” – Psalm 66:16-17 (NASB)

We have the joy of praying for the nations, for the lost, for the Church, for God to be glorified. Let us not waste this time by wasting our energy on social media ranting about evil but let us pray in the name of Jesus knowing that our Father hears our prayers and He will be glorified through our cries.

Abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973 with the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade. Since that time, literally millions of babies have been slaughtered in the womb. While people want to argue about which lives matter, babies everyday are being killed for the simple reason that they exist. The untold slaughter of the unborn in the United States and around the world is a stench to a holy God who cannot tolerate such evil. We see the effects of Romans 1 in the United States and abortion is a fruit of this.

How can one make an impact for the Lord against abortion? I could talk on about voting pro-life and I do and I believe all true disciples must. How can one vote for a pro-murder politician is beyond me. I could talk on about the need for true disciples of Jesus to run for political office to make an impact for the pro-life cause. I could talk about the need for Christians to go to your local murder mills to protest and to preach and to plead with women and men not to kill their babies. I could talk about the need for the churches to stop being silent about abortion. Preach on abortion, talk about the need to end abortion, pray for sinners to repent and believe the gospel and turn from their wicked sins.

For all of us, I point to the biblical truth of praying for the end of abortion. I do pray that we would pray, plead, preach, and protest but above all pray! Pray for the Lord to end abortion. Pray for Him to save the staff and “doctors” involved in murdering unborn babies. Pray for pro-life groups to be strong, to preach the gospel, to help women who have become pregnant to see that murder should not be an option. Pray for the Lord to raise up preachers of the gospel who will preach against abortion and turn women (and men) from the murdering of babies.

1 Timothy 2:1-7 is my bases for all this:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

We are winning the war over the pro-murder groups. The pro-life movement in the United States is strong. Granted, the federal government (especially under the pro-murder Democrats) has provided billions of dollars toward pro-murdering groups but the Lord is on our side. The Lord is for life. He created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) and we seek to murder babies who likewise are created in His image. The pro-life movement must preach the gospel realizing that the hope for those involved in murdering babies is that Jesus saves from sin (Luke 19:10). So many in the pro-life movement go and protest with an eye on earning merit from God (Isaiah 64:6). I remind you again that our “works of righteousness” do not save (Titus 3:5-7). We must preach the gospel that Jesus saves sinners and we are chief (1 Timothy 1:15).

For now, let us pray earnestly for the Lord to end abortion. I do pray we preach, plead, and protest but oh that we would pray for sinners to be saved (Romans 10:1), that the Lord would raise up laborers for His harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38) and that we would pray for the end to abortion.

I recently watched a video on the Islamic State or better known as ISIS. The video was not produced by Christians so the video simply wanted to tell the story of ISIS and why they do what they do and what is their goal. The reality was that ISIS members were not murderers bent on simply killing infidels in the name of Islam but they are simple, normal Muslims who truly love Islam and are seeking to follow the ways of their Prophet. These Muslims fill their day with learning from the Quran, with prayer, and with seeking to imitate the life of Mohammad in every way possible including jihad. Their passion is simple: they want to do the will of their god as it gave it to their prophet.

The secular world simply cannot fathom this devotion. They look at ISIS and see a people who must be mad at the West for something. Perhaps its our morals (and that is part of it) or our freedom (they see it as bondage because the will of their god is not being followed). The secular world thinks it’s about land or oil or money or even sex. The reality is that the members of ISIS and especially the leadership are well-educated Muslims who are bent on being true to the Quran and to their prophet. This is not about a fight for land. This is not a fight over the US involvement with Iraq or Afghanistan per se (though ISIS hates the Americans for being in Muslim lands). This is not about Jews or Christians (though they despise them both for their “false worship”). This is about their god. And the secular world has no answer.

The reason is simple why the secular worldview has no answer: they have no god. The “god” of the secular is themselves (Romans 1:22-23). The false god of Islam is not much different other than that the Muslim believes in a god outside of themselves. Their god is still a false god. Either way, the secularist has no answer for Islam.

The Christian reply is that the Muslims are worshiping a false god. A comparison of the God of the Bible with the god of the Quran shows a god who is much different in Islam. Even a comparison of the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ with Mohammad shows worlds difference between the two. The Lord Jesus was perfect, sinless and He never struck down those who attacked Him (1 Peter 2:21-24). Jesus even prayed for those who were killing Him (Luke 23:34). The Bible even says that we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48) and Paul the Apostle advocated the same (Romans 12:12-21). Jesus did teach His disciples to advance His kingdom (Acts 1:8) because of His authority (Matthew 28:18-20) but this advancement is not with weapons of warfare (2 Corinthians 10:3-4) but with the gospel. The gospel will conquer the nations (Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13-14; 1 Corinthians 15:24-26) and the Lord will redeem sinners from every nation (Revelation 5:9-10). Yet Jesus, unlike Mohammad, never called His followers to advance His kingdom by force or power. The gospel alone can transform a person and this comes from above (John 3:3; cf. Luke 17:20-21).

ISIS is not following Jesus. In fact, ISIS hates Jesus and the true and living God of the Bible as all sinners do (Romans 1:18-19). ISIS, like other forms of Islam, cannot convert one person because they have no gospel, no power. Islam offers no forgiveness of sins because they reject sin. Islam offers no assurance of salvation but to martyrs. Islam offers no hope that their god loves them but only that it is merciful. Islam has no concept of individual salvation but with only submission to their god. The very name “Muslim” means “one who submits.” Yet ISIS views all forms of Islam false who also do not follow sharia law (or the laws put forth by various Muslim clerics about how to follow the Quran and the life of Mohammad). If a nation or person does not follow sharia law as set forth by ISIS, they are deemed infidels and must repent and come back to the true religion. This is not a religion of peace but one of submission.

ISIS’s goal is clear: to raise the black flag of ISIS over every nation. In the video I watched, ISIS promised to raise the flag over Turkey (if they did not open a dam to allow water into Syria) and over all the Middle East (including Iran and Israel whom they both hate). ISIS even promised to raise the flag of Islam over the White House in the United States. This is not a religion of peace but as the name states – of submission. Sharia law is to be the law of the land wherever ISIS comes.

What can the secularist say to this? They have no solution. No answers. The President of the United States will not even see that they are true Muslims but he views them as false Muslims. Any simple reading of the Quran and the Hadith would show otherwise. Some secular religious scholar is giving the President of the United States bad advice. I agree that warfare is not the total answer. ISIS wants war. ISIS would love to face the United States to the battlefield (though they would probably lose in my estimation). ISIS believes that their holy war is from their god. The US military would just view it as another war with terrorists. While the US could defeat ISIS in battles, the hearts for the people living in Muslim lands must be won with the gospel. And the US (and other nations) would not get that part. Until they do, they would have to continue to fight Islamic fighters for years to come.

The answer for combatting ISIS is this: send missionaries. You could (and I think should) fight ISIS on the battlefield for they continue to kill people who are simply in their way. ISIS must be stopped and stopped by a strong military force (just as the European nations sent the Crusaders in the middle ages not to take over the Middle East but to combat the spread of Islam into European nations). After stopping ISIS on the battlefield, we must turn the work over to the gospel. Muslims need to freely hear the gospel. One ISIS soldier even said that he hated seeing the Americans in Iraq because they would build Christian churches. This is what we must do. We must send forth the gospel.

The gospel can transform the Middle East. It did in the first 600 years after the resurrection of Christ until the false prophet Mohammad sought to build a cult off the teachings of Judaism and Christianity. Since then, the gospel has struggled against the false teachings of Islam. Islam is not merely another religion from Christianity but it is the antithesis of Christianity. Islam doesn’t merely teach against Jesus but another Jesus altogether to pervert the true Jesus of the Bible.

Thank God for the reports of Muslims hearing the gospel through the Internet and through radio. ISIS will kill whoever converts to Christianity and ISIS will kill whoever is found with a Bible or listening to Christian programs. This is not about peace but submission. Yahweh is sending forth His truth against the false teachings of Islam. Yahweh will be glorified through His Son in all nations and the promise is that all nations will bow to His dominion (Psalm 72:8-9).

I pray that ISIS will repent. God saved a Jew bent on killing disciples of Christ in Acts 9 and He can do the same with members of ISIS. I pray that nations will see the threat of ISIS and see that the answer is not found in secularism. It is not found in money or sex. The answer for ISIS is the gospel of the Jesus Christ. I pray that members of ISIS will turn from their sins and the Spirit of God would bring deep conviction upon them (John 16:8-11). Jesus is able to save even the worse of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). May we intercede for this (1 Timothy 2:1-7).

ISIS is a wicked group of men who are committed to the false teachings of Islam and the false prophet Mohammad. ISIS are committed to following the example of their Prophet and they want to imitate him in every way. These are not “sub-Muslims” but I would argue that they are true Muslims, truly committed to following Islam and living for the glory of their false Prophet.

That said, the disciple of Jesus has a powerful tool to use to combat the lies of ISIS and that is prayer. The Muslim prays to the false god Allah but it does not hear for Allah is not a true god. The members of ISIS pray to a false god and worship a false god. This is not true for true disciples of Jesus Christ. We have the one and only true and living God. There are no other gods (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:8; 45:5; 46:9; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Ephesians 4:6). Jesus is the divine Son of God, the second person of the holy Trinity (John 1:18; 3:16) and He alone is our sole mediator before a holy God (1 Timothy 2:5-6). We must come to the Father in the name of Jesus for Him to hear our prayers (John 14:13-14). Jesus warned about those who would try to come to God through other ways or means. He called them “thief and a robber” (John 10:1). Jesus alone is the true shepherd for us (John 10:11) and He said that He was the door for the sheep (John 10:7). Jesus said further that He was the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6).

Therefore, the disciple of Christ can come into the holy presence of God whereas the members of ISIS cannot. The members of ISIS continue to sacrifice their lives and their time to false gods and even demons (1 Corinthians 10:20, 21). ISIS members are slaves to their sin and to their father, Satan (John 8:44). It is clear that they are far from God by their actions (1 John 3:15).

With the knowledge then that we can pray and God hears our cries (Psalm 65:2) because of Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16), let us pray! Let us pray for the members of ISIS to be saved. Perhaps some of them fit Romans 10:1 but I suspect most are simply lustful men who desire to kill and to destroy like their father, Satan, and their Prophet. Again, they pray and worship false gods but we worship the only true and living God and He hears the prayer of the saints (Revelation 5:8). We should pray that God would open their blind eyes to know the truth of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:3-6). We should pray for the Holy Spirit to bring deep conviction on the members of ISIS (John 16:8-11). We should pray for the Lord to bring justice for their killings (Romans 2:8-9). We should pray 2 Peter 3:9 toward ISIS and ask God to open their eyes to see their sins and to see their good works (and very evil works) do not save but only condemn them (Isaiah 64:6). We should pray for disciples who are suffering under ISIS to demonstrate Christ (Luke 23:34) and for the Lord to be glorified even in their suffering (1 Peter 4:12-19).

ISIS can be destroyed but God is able to save these wicked sinners. The Lord struck down Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-4). Saul was a wicked man who was bent on destroying the church of Christ (Acts 8:1-3; Galatians 1:13). Saul was doing all this in the name of Yahweh whom he thought he was serving (Galatians 1:14) yet he did not know God in truth (Galatians 1:15) but when the Lord saved him, Saul became a testimony of grace for all to see (Galatians 1:16, 24). Who would think that God could take the murdering Saul and turn him into Paul the Apostle? Yet God did (1 Corinthians 15:10)!

We should pray that the Father would do the same to members of ISIS. God is more than able! He has proved His power to save throughout time. May the Lord be glorified in saving souls among ISIS.